Delhi reeled under a 'severe heatwave' on the day of Holi, as the maximum temperature shot up to 40.1 degrees Celsius, making it the hottest day in March in 76 years, the India Meteorological Department said on Monday.

“The average high temperature for the month of April for places like New Delhi, India, is 36 C,” says Weather Network meteorologist Ida Hung. Sizzling temperatures are coinciding with India’s nationwide lockdown due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Temperatures passed 50 degrees Celsius in northern India as an unrelenting heatwave triggered warnings of water shortages and heatstroke.